Measurement of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Pepper for Particle Behavior Analysis

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of a Korean red pepper variety for particle behavior analysis. Methods: Poisson's ratio, modulus of elasticity, shear modulus, density, coefficient of restitution, and coefficient of friction were derived for "AR Legend," which is a domestic pepper variety. The modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio were measured through a compression test using a texture analyzer. The shear modulus was calculated from the modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio. The density was measured using a water pycnometer method. The coefficient of restitution was measured using a collision test, and the static and dynamic friction coefficients were measured using a inclined plane test. Each test was repeated 3-5 times except for density measurement, and the results were analyzed using mean values. Results: Poisson's ratios for the pepper fruit and pepper stem were 0.295 and 0.291, respectively. Elastic moduli of the pepper fruit and pepper stem were $1.152{\times}10^7Pa$ and $3.295{\times}10^7Pa$, respectively, and the shear moduli of the pepper fruit and pepper stem were $4.624{\times}10^6Pa$ and $1.276{\times}10^7Pa$, respectively. The density of the pepper fruit and the pepper stem were $601.8kg/m^3$ and $980.4kg/m^3$, respectively. The restitution coefficients between pepper fruits, pepper stems, a pepper fruit and a pepper stem, a pepper fruit and plastic, and a pepper stem and plastic were 0.383, 0.218, 0.277, 0.399, and 0.148, respectively. The coefficients of static friction between pepper fruits, pepper stems, a pepper fruit and a pepper stem, a pepper fruit and plastic, and a pepper stem and plastic were 0.455, 0.332, 0.306, 0.364, and 0.404, respectively. The coefficients of dynamic friction between a pepper fruit and plastic and a pepper stem and plastic were 0.043 and 0.034, respectively.